having wealth along with attempting to understand what
zuhd really means and its practical implementation in this
era.
What is Zuhd?
Most people understand zuhd to be purposely refraining
from unnecessary material goods or intentionally opting
for poverty. While this definition is not incorrect per se, I
feel that this definition is not fully comprehensive. Although
abstaining from surplus wealth is definitely a form
of zuhd, it is not the only form of zuhd. The famous ascetic,
Ibrahim bin Ad-ham, defined zuhd as the following: “True
asceticism is having one’s heart empty from (the love of)
material goods, not necessarily having nothing in one’s
possession.”
Sufyan al-Thauri has mentioned, “Asceticism from the
world means to limit one’s expectations and hopes from
the world. It does not mean to eat stale food or to wear any
specific type of clothing.”
As can be seen from the above definitions, zuhd is a state of
mind. A state of mind in which a person is not attached or
obsessed with the wealth they have. Zuhd does not necessarily
entail having less, it just means not to be attached to
whatever one owns whether that happens to be a lot or a
little. Although the more one possesses, the tougher it is to
become detached from what one has.
Is Having Wealth Against the Spirit of Islam?
There are many verses and prophetic traditions regarding
the trials and tribulations that accompany wealth. For
example, Allah says, “Indeed your wealth and your children
are a trial (fitnah) for you” (64:15), and ‘Amr bin ‘Auf g
narrates that the Messenger of Allah a said, “I do not fear
poverty for you; rather I fear that this world will expand
before you (i.e. you will have a lot of riches of this world)
similar to how it expanded for those who came before you.
You will then compete in it as they once did, and then it
will become a distraction for you as it became for them”
(Bukhari). In another hadith: Ka’b bin ‘Iyad g narrates that
the Messenger of Allah a said, “Indeed every nation has its
test (fitna), and the test of my umma will be wealth” (Tirmidhi).
Ka’b bin Malik g narrates that the Prophet a said,
“Two hungry wolves, if let loose amongst a flock of sheep,
cause less harm than the harm caused by a man’s greed to
increase his money and his prestige” (Tirmidhi). Abu Hurayra
g narrates that the Prophet a said, “Wretched is one
who is enslaved to gold, silver, fine cloth, and garments. If
he/she is given (these material goods), (only then) are they
pleased. If he/she is not given (these material goods), they
are upset” (Bukhari).
If one was to analyze the aforementioned narrations, they
would notice that accumulating wealth itself has not been
Zuhd does not necessarily
entail having less, it just
means not to be attached
to whatever one owns
whether that happens to
be a lot or a little.
condemned; rather, it is the greed of wealth that is being
condemned. Wealth has been deemed a fitna, however not
every fitna is inherently evil. The Qur’an has also deemed
one’s children and spouses as a trial for them. Yet, no one
would claim that having a spouse or children is evil or to
be avoided. Conversely, there are numerous prophetic
traditions encouraging marriage and procreation. What
makes one’s spouse and children a fitna is the fact that it
is very easy for one to succumb to their desires regarding
them and become negligent toward their religious obligations.
Similarly, an abundance of wealth is also a fitna but
not inherently evil. There are even many virtues and good
deeds which can only be achieved if one has excess wealth.
Consider the following hadith: Ibn ‘Umar k narrates that
the Messenger of Allah a said, “There are only two people
worthy of envy, the person whom Allah has blessed with
the Qur’an (in his/her heart) so they are able to read it
throughout the day and night and the person whom Allah
has blessed with wealth so they are able to spend it (in charity)
throughout the day and night” (Bukhari).
Furthermore, there is even a lengthy hadith in which the
Prophet a said that the highest ranking individual is the
one whom Allah has blessed with wealth and knowledge
and he/she utilizes their wealth and knowledge in the correct
manner to please Allah (Tirmidhi).
Examples of Wealthy Ascetics in Islamic History
Throughout Islamic history, there have been many such
individuals whom were blessed with an abundance of
wealth and yet their hearts were completely detached from
it. Their affluence did not affect their humility nor did it
distract them from the true purpose of their lives. Below
we will briefly look at two exemplars of affluent asceticism
from the time of the Messenger a: ‘Abd al-Rahman bin
‘Auf and ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan k.
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